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Kavanaugh Accuser Agrees to Talk to Senate Judiciary Committee

Christine Blasey Ford has accused nominee of sexually assaulting her decades ago

Protesters at the Dirksen Building office of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Thursday show their support for Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
Protesters at the Dirksen Building office of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Thursday show their support for Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Christine Blasey Ford agreed Saturday to discuss with the Senate Judiciary Committee next week her allegation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her decades ago.

In an email from Ford’s lawyers to Senate Judiciary Committee staff, Ford accepted the “request to provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct” but did not specify how she would do that. Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley offered to have Ford testify Wednesday in public or private, but also offered her a public or private interview.

Attorneys Debra Katz and Lisa Banks said in an email they hope to keep negotiating. Although many aspects of the committee’s proposal “are fundamentally inconsistent with the Committee’s promise of a fair, impartial investigation into her allegations, and we are disappointed with the leaks and the bullying that have tainted the process,” the lawyers wrote, “we are hopeful that we can reach agreement on details.”

Grassley agreed to several other conditions her attorneys had set, such as allowing only one pool camera, limited press access and not having Kavanaugh in the room at the same time.

The Iowa Republican late Friday gave Ford more time to decide whether to testify, making the announcement on Twitter, almost as if he were writing to the parties involved, just before midnight. It was about two hours after Ford’s attorneys wrote him to ask for just one more day for their client to decide.

“Judge Kavanaugh I just granted another extension to Dr Ford to decide if she wants to proceed w the statement she made last week to testify to the senate She shld decide so we can move on I want to hear her,” Grassley tweeted. “I hope u understand. It’s not my normal approach to b indecisive”

Grassley said he has granted an extension to Ford five times since Katz, her attorney, said on television that Ford wanted to tell the Senate her story. “Dr Ford if u changed ur mind say so so we can move on I want to hear ur testimony. Come to us or we to u,” Grassley tweeted.

But Grassley also made it clear that he wasn’t thrilled with the delay. “With all the extensions we give Dr Ford to decide if she still wants to testify to the Senate I feel like I’m playing 2nd trombone in the judiciary orchestra and Schumer is the conductor,” the Judiciary chairman wrote.

Watch: ‘Professor Ford Is Telling the Truth,’ Calls for Full Hearing ‘Done Right,’ Schumer Says

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